Vertical connecting hose support

ABSTRACT

An earth boring machine is disclosed having a fixed support frame and a traveling frame mounted for travel along the fixed support frame. A flexible connecting hose is attached to the traveling frame to conduct drilling fluid between the drill string attached to the traveling frame and fluid handling equipment near the fixed support frame. A rotatable wheel is positioned beneath the connecting hose to provide support for the connecting hose. One end of a cable is connected to the rotatable wheel and the other end of the cable is connected to a weight. A pair of sheaves connected to the upper portion of the fixed support frame is provided for supporting the intermediate portion of the cable. When the earth boring machine is in operation, the traveling frame moves up and down along the fixed support frame. The rotatable wheel travels up and down in unison with the traveling frame thereby supporting the connecting hose during the earth boring operation.

Primary Examiner-James A. Leppink Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Eddie E. Scott O United States Patent [191 [1111 3,884,151 1 Eddy [451 May 20, 1975 VERTICAL CONNECTING HOSE SUPPORT [75] Inventor: Kenneth Harmon Eddy, Beaumont, [57] ABSTRACT Tex. An earth boring machine is disclosed having a fixed support frame and a traveling frame mounted for [73] Assignee. Dresser Industries, Inc., Dallas, Tex. travel along the fixed Support frame A flexible com [22] Filed: Mar. 27, 1974 necting hose is attached to the traveling frame to conduct drilling fluid between the drill string attached to [21] Appl' 455103 the traveling frame and fluid handling equipment near the fixed support frame. A rotatable wheel is posi- [52] U.S. Cl. 173/57; 166/75; 173/147; tiohed beneath h nn cting hose to provide support 175/202 for the connecting hose. One end of a cable is con- [51] Int. Cl. E21B 17/00; 15213 41/00 nected to the rotatable h l nd the other end of the [58] Field of Search 173/57, 147; 175/103 203 cable is connected to a weight. A pair of sheaves con- 17 5 Q07; 166/75 nected to the upper portion of the fixed support frame is provided for supporting the intermediate portion of [56] Ref Cit d the cable. When the earth boring machine is in opera- UNITED STATES PATENTS tion, the traveling frame moves up and down along the 2910274 10/1959 S 75103 fixed support frame. The rotatable wheel travels up 335ll42 11/1967 173x47 and down in unison with the traveling frame thereby supporting the connecting hose during the earth boring operation.

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure VERTICAL CONNECTING HOSE SUPPORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the art of earth boring and more particularly to an apparatus for supporting a flexible connecting hose.

Earth boring machines typically include a main support frame and a traveling frame mounted for travel along said main support frame. A rotary drill string is connected to the traveling frame and as the hole penetrates deeper into the earth, the traveling frame moves downward. The drill string is hollow and a drilling fluid is generally either forced downward through the center of the drill string or drawn upward through the center of the drill string. A conduit must be provided to transmit the drilling fluid between the traveling frame and the drilling fluid handling equipment. The conduit must be flexible to accommodate the up and down movement of the traveling frame.

During the drilling operation, downward movement of the traveling frame leaves an unsupported section of the flexible conduit above the traveling frame. This unsupported section tends to interfere with the drilling operation and the weight of the unsupported section may deform or break the flexible conduit. The unsupported section may impede flow of drilling fluid through the flexible conduit. During some earth boring operations, such as the drilling of pile holes for elevated pipe lines, it is desirable to have the traveling frame travel a substantial distance. This allows a pile hole to be drilled with a single unit of the drill string thereby eliminating the need to add sections of drill pipe during the earth boring operation. The substantial travel of the traveling frame results in a substantial length of the flexible conduit being left unsupported above the traveling frame. It will be appreciated that the aforementioned problems are complicated when the earth boring operation is to be conducted under very cold drilling conditions such as in Alaska. The cold temperature causes the flexible conduit material to become brittle and sources of stress on the flexible conduit must be reduced or eliminated.

Drilling mud may be circulated from equipment at the surface through the flexible conduit to the drill string and downward into the bore hole. In other operations, drilling debris may be circulated out of the bore hole through the flexible conduit to equipment at the surface. The weight of the materials circulating through the flexible conduit tends to cause the flexible conduit to sag and may result in breakage or damage to the flexible conduit. In order to maintain a smooth and continuous flow of material through the flexible conduit, the conduit should remain in a stable configuration, preferably in a simply and continuous curve.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART In US. Pat. No. 3,229,960 to G. L. Loomis, patented Jan. 18, I966, a hoisting apparatus for a well rig is shown. Fluid is transmitted between a source and the drill string by a pair of flexible conduits. The intermediate portions of the flexible conduits are unsupported.

RELATED NON-ANALOGOUS PRIOR ART In U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,728 to V. C. H. Richardson et al., patented Oct. 1, 1968, an apparatus for the suspension of well bore devices is shown. The apparatus is used on floating vessels for carrying out cable operations in well bores located beneath the water to maintain cable suspended equipment in the well at the same depth during movement of the vessel in response to wave action. The apparatus includes a suspension cable for the equipment in the well and a mooring cable anchored at its lowered end to a fixed location beneath the water and yieldable pressure fluid means on the vessel having a movable connection with each of the cables to apply a constant tension to the cables during the paying out and taking in of the cable during move ments of the vessel due to wave action.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A traveling frame is mounted for travel along a fixed support frame. During an earth boring operation, the traveling frame moves up and down along the fixed support frame. A flexible conduit is supported by a support element positioned beneath the flexible conduit. One end of a cable or line is connected to the support element and the other end of the cable or line is connected to a counter balance force means. The intermediate portion of the cable or line passes over a sheave attached to the fixed support frame. The support element will travel up and down in unison with the traveling frame thereby providing support to the flexible conduit. The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The single FIGURE of the drawings shows an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the single FIGURE of drawings, an earth boring machine generally designated by the reference number 12 is shown positioned at a drill site. The earth boring machine 12 includes a derrick 8 that provides a support frame. A traveling power head or traveling frame 3 is mounted for travel along the derrick 8. A drill string unit 10 is connected to the traveling power head 3. The earth boring operation begins with the traveling power head 3 positioned near the top of the derrick 8. The drill string unit 10 consisting of a multiplicity of individual drill pipe sections is connected to the traveling power head 3. The drill string 10 is rotated to form the desired bore hole. As the bore hole penetrates deeper into the earth, the traveling power head 3 moves downward in the derrick 8. It will be appreciated that the traveling frame could be a power swivel or other unit that would travel up and down within the derrick 8.

During earth boring operations, a drilling fluid is gen erally circulated through the drill string 10. In some instances the drilling fluid is drilling mud that will be circulated from a mud pit downward through the hollow drill string to the bottom of the bore hole thence upward in the annulus between the drill string and the wall of the bore hole and returned to the mud pit. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the drilling fluid is air. Air circulates from the atmosphere downward in the annulus between the wall of the bore hole and the outside of the drill string 10 thence upward through the hollow drill string 10 through a connecting hose 2 to stand pipe 9 where it is discharged.

The earth boring machine 12 may be utilized for drilling pile holes for elevated pipe lines. The traveling power head 3 travels a substantial distance along the derrick 8 during the drilling of a pile hole. This allows a complete pile hole to be drilled with a single unit of drill string thereby eliminating the necessity of adding sections of drill pipe during the drilling of the pile hole. The long length of travel of the traveling power head 3 would leave a substantial length of connecting hose 2 unsupported. The unsupported portion of the connecting hose 2 would tend to interfere with the drilling operation, and the weight of the unsupported section might deform or break the connecting hose 2. The weight of the material being transported through the connecting hose increases the possibility of damage or breakage to the connecting hose 2. The unsupported section of the connecting hose 2 might also impede the circulation of the drilling fluid, drill cutting, and drilling debris. If the drilling operation is to be conducted in cold climate, the material of the connecting hose 2 would be expected to be brittle and easily break.

A support wheel 1 is positioned below the connecting hose 2 to support the connecting hose 2. The radius of the support wheel 1 substantially matches the bend radius of the connecting hose 2. This provides a smooth radius for flow of materials through the connecting hose 2. The support wheel 1 is rotatably mounted upon an axle 11. A connecting line 4 is affixed to the axle 11. A pair of sheaves 5 and 6 is attached to the derrick 8. The connecting line 4 passes over sheaves 5 and 6 and is attached to a counter balance weight 7. The counter balance weight 7 provides a counter balance force substantially equal to the weight of the connecting hose 2.

The structural details of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention having been described, the operation of the earth boring machine 12 will now be considered. The drilling of a pile hole begins with the traveling power head 3 near the top of the derrick 8. The drill string is rotated and a drill bit (not shown) at the bottom of the drill string 10 disintegrates the earth formations to form the desired bore hole. As the bore hole penetrates deeper into the earth, the traveling power head 3 moves downward. Air is circulated from the atmosphere downward in the annulus between the wall of the bore hole and the outside of the drill string 10. The air continues upward in the center of the hollow drill string 10 carrying with it the cuttings and debris from the earth boring operation. The air, cuttings, and drilling debris pass through the connecting hose 2 to the stand pipe 9 where it is discharged. The cuttings and drilling debris are deposited on the ground where they may be collected from time to time. The support wheel 1 supports the connecting hose 2. As the traveling power head 3 moves downward, the support wheel 1 rotates on the axle ll insuring that a smooth radius of connecting hose will be maintained. The counter balance weight 7 provides a lifting force on the support wheel 1 maintaining a slight tension in both ends of the connecting hose 2. The connecting hose 2 is maintained in a vertical position as the traveling power head 3 moves in the derrick 8.

A monitoring and signaling system may be provided to warn the driller and other personnel at the rig of a possible impending connecting hose failure. By monitoring simultaneous movement of the traveling power head 3 and the support wheel 1 it is possible to detect problems that might result in damage or breakage of the connecting hose 2. If the traveling power head 3 is moving upward but the support wheel is remaining stationary, a warning signal should be sounded to alert operating personnel that the connecting hose may be deformed and be subjected to stress. For example, should the connecting hose 2 be blocked it will become filled with cuttings and drilling debris. The weight of the connecting hose 2, cuttings and debris may be greater than the force supplied by the counter balance weight 7. This will hold the support wheel 1 stationary while the power head 3 is moving upward. The connecting hose 2 may begin to buckle and could eventually rupture. A system for monitoring movement of the support wheel 1 and the power head 3 could be provided by placing sensors on the support wheel 1 and the power head 3. Means would be provided to compare the signals from the two sensors and provide a warning when the signals become unbalanced.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An earth boring machine that operates to circulate drilling fluid through an earth borehole thereby picking up materials such as borehole fluids and debris from the borehole and transfers the drilling fluid and materials through a rotating drill pipe, comprising:

a fixed support frame;

a traveling frame mounted for travel along said fixed support frame;

means connecting said traveling frame and said rotating drill pipe;

a flexible rotary hose with one end connected to said rotating drill pipe;

means for moving said drilling fluid and materials through said rotary hose;

a rotatable wheel supporting said flexible rotary hose;

a weight;

a cable connected between said rotatable wheel and said weight; and

a sheave connected to said fixed support frame for supporting said cable.

2. A drilling rig for forming an earth borehole that operates to circulate a drilling fluid through a rotating drill pipe extending into the earth borehole, comprising:

a derrick;

traveling drilling means mounted for travel in said derrick;

means connecting said traveling drilling means and said rotary drill pipe;

a large diameter flexible rotary hose means with one end connected to said rotating drill pipe on said traveling drilling means for transferring said drilling fluid;

a rotatable wheel supporting said flexible rotary hose means;

a weight;

a cable connected between said rotatable wheel and said weight; and

a sheave connected to said derrick for supporting said cable. 

1. An earth boring machine that operates to circulate drilling fluid through an earth borehole thereby picking up materials such as borehole fluids and debris from the borehole and transfers the drilling fluid and materials through a rotating drill pipe, comprising: a fixed support frame; a traveling frame mounted for travel along said fixed support frame; means connecting said traveling frame and said rotating drill pipe; a flexible rotary hose with one end connected to said rotating drill pipe; means for moving said drilling fluid and materials through said rotary hose; a rotatable wheel supporting said flexible rotary hose; a weight; a cable connected between said rotatable wheel and said weight; and a sheave connected to said fixed support frame for supporting said cable.
 2. A drilling rig for forming an earth borehole that operates to circulate a drilling fluid through a rotating drill pipe extending into the earth borehole, comprising: a derrick; traveling drilling means mounted for travel in said derrick; means connecting said traveling drilling means and said rotary drill pipe; a large diameter flexible rotary hose means with one end connected to said rotating drill pipe on said traveling drilling means for transferring said drilling fluid; a rotatable wheel supporting said flexible rotary hose means; a weight; a cable connected between said rotatable wheel and said weight; and a sheave connected to said derrick for supporting said cable. 